*BSD News Article 29618


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From: pauls@locust.cic.net (Paul Southworth)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Subject: Re: Where do we go from here?
Date: 22 Apr 1994 23:27:55 GMT
Organization: ETEXT
Lines: 29
Message-ID: <2p9mhr$eih@spruce.cic.net>
References: <2p9fur$kin@zenos.physci.psu.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: locust.cic.net

In article <2p9fur$kin@zenos.physci.psu.edu>,
Dan Cross <tenser@zenos.physci.psu.edu> wrote:
>Now that the UCB has stopped working on BSD, bell labs has discontinued work
>on the 10th edition research UNIX, and Novell has bought USL, who is going to
>keep UNIX alive?

NetBSD, FreeBSD, BSDI, and OSF, IMO.  I add OSF since the OSF1
operating system seems to be tolerable, but obviously if you're looking
for full source, they have to be left out as cost-prohibitive.  I think
we should also *not* discount the continued efforts of the BSD old
school; Eric Allman and Keith Bostic deserve credit for keeping some
pieces alive while the rest is being dropped.  I hope it can be worth
their while to keep it up.

> (heh, sorry if this sounds morbid...)  Anyway, how is UNIX
>going to keep being advanced if no one but commercial vendors are working on 
>it?

Given that BSDI offers full source and the whole thing is priced 
reasonably, I think there's hope for both commercial and non-commercial
torch-bearers.  Their future qualification, I think, will rely on expansion
beyond i386-PC architectures, but that appears to be in the works, so...

BSDI also appears to be developing as a home for former CSRG programmers
and other unrelated but experienced BSD programmers where they can continue
to do the work they want and get paid for it.

--
pauls@cic.net